You Can Always Go Home Again
by Mako1
Summary: Based on an idea I had a year or so ago. Obviously set after Sci-Fi leaves the Army and struggles with suddenly having to raise a child on his own.


You Can Always Go Home.

Author Chick Notes: Hello.  Ages ago…eh a year or so ;) I wrote a future fic based on a girl writing about her father for a class.  Said dad was a Joe and the girl was his 'Oops how'd that happen?' daughter, Jolie.  Well for some reason I lost the fic! "%$(@#!!!" …Stupid blonde. Anyhoo…it can still be found over at Suzanne's archive, although the coding is off on it and it's a bit hard to read. =/ The original fic was called 'Reflection'.  And Jolie was writing about her dad, who when he was a Joe went by the code name of Sci-Fi …and no I don't have a thing for certain dudes in lime green ;)  Well like Imani from the WWE fic, she has kind of taken over in my head and wheels around occasionally nagging for some spotlight time, so here goes.  Come to think of it, so have the rest of her kin whom I've cooked up for various ideas too…thanks Sci-Fi =p

You Can Always Go Home.

He hated the hospital, ever since he'd first set foot in it over seven months before.  All had been fine, his flat mate and mother of his child had taken their daughter for her six-month check up.  Everything went well and the little girl had been given a clean bill of health by the paediatrician.   Unfortunately, it only lasted for about half an hour.  On the way home, Mirelle had been side swiped at an intersection by an inebriated driver.  She was killed instantly according to the paramedics on the scene.  So was the drunk driver.  The amazing thing however was that little Jolie had survived the deadly crash, barely.

He remembered the sickening feeling he got when he opened the door to see two of San Jose's finest standing there to tell him the news.  At first the police officers thought they might have had the wrong house, until they saw a portrait on a nearby desk.  The Caucasian man standing in front of them had his arms lovingly wrapped around a beautiful dark skinned Caribbean woman and a tiny newborn infant in the picture.  

He remembered when one of the officers said that his wife had been in an accident.  He told them he didn't have a wife, but he did have a girlfriend and a baby who was with her as far as he knew.  Somehow the two officers brought him from his home to the hospital where he remembered doctors rushing about saying they needed pints of blood and all sorts of other medical terms that he forgot the meaning of at the time.  Ever since that day he'd been at the hospital on a daily basis for his beloved little girl.

"Mr Fine?" Sci-Fi looked up at the nurse who'd interrupted his reverie.

"Yeah?"

"She's all set for her last session, then you can take her home." The nurse smiled.  He noticed it was a weak smile but he really didn't care.  His little girl was still alive and even if she would never walk again, she was still as vivacious as a thirteen-month-old toddler could be.  

He rose from the plastic seat and followed the petite nurse to the paediatric rehabilitation ward.  "Hey baby girl." He smiled when he saw his daughter laying on her back on a brightly coloured mat.  The toddler turned to the sound of her father and grinned at him.  He sat down at her feet and picked her up for a hug.  "After this you go home with me." He murmured as he nuzzled her chubby cheek.  She squealed when the stubble on his chin tickled her and tried to swat him away.

The session had gone like all the others.  Jolie co-operated for about five minutes then became fussy.  The therapist made sure that Sci-Fi knew the routines of the exercises and how many times a week to do them with her paralysed legs.  She'd never be able to use her legs because of the injury to her lower spine and would be wheelchair bound for the rest of her life.  Sci-Fi just brushed off the shallow optimism the hospital staff had given him since they had learned the extent of her injuries.  As far as he was concerned, they couldn't begin to fathom the fact that he just didn't care.  She was alive and that was all that mattered to him.

Jolie knew when the sessions were over and immediately perked up again when the therapist got up and went over to a desk.  She stared up at her father with the bright green eyes she'd inherited from him and grinned.  He couldn't help it and laughed.  "You're getting more teeth there, shorty." He teased at the gap-toothed grin he got.  "You're definitely not chewing on my finger no more." He added as he picked her up and rose with ease from the floor.

Sci-Fi noticed that Jolie clung to him a little tighter as he walked with her towards the room she had spent the last several months in.  She always did that, knowing that he'd be leaving her again.  This time however, it was to go pick up the little pink bag that held what was left of the clothing she'd had in the hospital.  Most of the stuff she'd had there had already been taken home, including the mountain of stuffed toys she'd acquired from the staff.  

He picked up the one toy that remained and gave it to her, a little peach and beige rabbit he's given her for her first Easter.  She grabbed it and began gnawing on one of its ears while her father picked up her bag and slung it over his shoulder.  "Okay Sweetie, kiss this place good riddance!" He said as they left.  Jolie's eyes shot open wide when she saw that he was leaving with her this time.  She wriggled a little in his arm and cuddled up against him, contently gnawing away on her rabbit.

Outside, Jolie hid her eyes from the bright sunshine for a moment.  Sci-Fi chuckled as he opened up the truck door and set the bag down.  Next he placed her in her seat and strapped her in.  Making sure the seat was secure he closed the door and went to the driver's side.  The ride home was short but he felt a sense of dread wash over him, especially when he had to pull over to allow an emergency vehicle pass.  

Pulling into the driveway he turned the ignition off and leaned back in his seat.  He stayed that way for a moment before getting out and going over to get Jolie out of the back.  Jolie was fighting to keep her eyes open and yawned when her father picked her up.  She was sound asleep in seconds after he got her positioned on his hip and carried her inside.  

A woman came out of the kitchen when she heard the door open and smiled.  "Aw, the poor thing." The elderly woman smiled.  

"Hey Mrs Rodriguez." Sci-Fi greeted.  Mrs Rodriguez took Jolie from him and cuddled the sleeping infant in her arms for a moment before laying her down on the floor.  The woman whom lived next door, had been over almost on a daily basis since the accident to help out around the house and make sure the occupant wasn't to over whelmed in grief.

The two talked for a few moments before Mrs Rodriguez left.  Alone in the house now with Jolie, Sci-Fi looked down at her before gently picking her up and carrying her into his bedroom.  Jolie shifted once on his chest before finding a comfortable position to continue her nap in.  Sci-Fi looked down at her and kissed the top of her head, nuzzling his nose in the mass of soft brown curls for a moment.  

It was getting dark outside and he turned on the lamp next to the bed.  Underneath it was a picture of Jolie's mother.  He picked it up and traced a finger lovingly along its length.  Mirelle Ngawe had been a stunningly beautiful woman in life.  She was of Swahili decent and called the Caribbean island of Barbados home.  Sci-Fi had met her in college and the two had become fast friends.  Sharing a wry sense of humour and a vivid love of life, the two became inseparable in school.  

After graduation, Sci-Fi went on to join the military then the G I Joe team, where his knowledge of laser technology made him a wealthy man with government contracts on the side.  Mirelle had moved to California to pursue a career in computers and had made quite a name for herself in the industry.  Due to government cutbacks, Sci-Fi had opted to leave the Army after only ten years.  He could have stayed but he knew that there wouldn't be another unit out there that he could possibly fit into like he did with the Joes.

With a steady source of income in the form of government funding, Sci-Fi instead headed west and met up with his college friend.  The two moved in together and were quite happy living as friends.  Mirelle's lack of interest in men had never bothered him, seeing as they had a more sibling like relationship.  One balmy summer night a neighbour was throwing a party and the two had been invited.  They left later that night and walked home feeling slightly buzzed from the drinks they'd consumed.  At the door, he couldn't help it and picked her up in his arms to carry her over the threshold.  They ended up in bed together as a result and two months later found out that they weren't going to be alone for much longer.

Sci-Fi softly laughed at the memories that followed and kissed Mirelle's picture, as he had done every night since the accident.  "I promise she won't ever want for anything." He whispered as he held Jolie close.  The picture blurred for a moment from the tears flooding his eyes and he replaced it on the nightstand with great care.  He never thought he'd miss someone the way he missed her.  

It was then he decided he had to move.  Not just leave the house, but also leave the city where he'd enjoyed so much happiness with his beloved friend and the mother of his child.  A few weeks later, he'd managed to sell the house and packed up the bulk of his and Jolie's belongings into storage.  He hadn't decided where to move to yet, he just knew he had to leave.  Packing the basics in the back of his truck he set off for an unknown journey with his little girl across the country.  He had decided he'd know where he was moving to when he got there, so he just drove.

The first day of driving had gotten them all the way to Las Vegas.  Sci-Fi looked up in the phone book and sure enough, he found that one of his old teammates had returned to the desert oasis.  He was even more surprised to find that Dusty wasn't alone in Vegas.  He went to the house and got the shock of his life when instead of the tall man he knew would be there, a petite auburn haired woman with a sorely missed smirk answered the door.  

Cover Girl and Dusty told him about how they had eloped one day on a whim and had decided to settle in Las Vegas.  She had started her own public relations company and did remarkably well.  Dusty had gone into teaching ecology at a local high school, the high light for his students being a weekend trip into the desert to learn it's ways and how to appreciate it.  They also had a little girl about Jolie's age, they named Grace.  Grace looked almost exactly like her mother with the exception of having inherited her father's height and shyness.  

In turn Sci-Fi had told the couple about his life after the military and how he had become a parent.  They had ended up spending the whole day exchanging stories of how their lives had been since GI Joe.  Sci-Fi left the Tadur residence and headed back to the hotel he was staying at.  Slinging Jolie on his hip they took a walk down the famous Las Vegas strip and saw all the lights and glitz of the city.  "When you hit twenty-one baby girl, we're coming back here to terrorize this place right!" Sci-Fi promised Jolie as she giggled at the giant lion outside the MGM Grand.

With a toddler, Sci-Fi couldn't really enjoy the city the way he had in previous visits so after another day of sightseeing they left.  South was the direction of choice and after seeing the great gash in the earth formed by the Colorado River, they turned north again.  About half an hour shy of the Utah state line they stopped for a break.  "I don't know about you baby girl but they don't like drinking to much where we're going and I've been a tad dry for to long." Sci-Fi said to Jolie who was holding his shirt tightly and babbling.  He got a bottle of his favourite whiskey and proceeded to cross into the vast expanse of Utah.

"Why your aunt loves coming here every other year, is beyond me." He'd groused to Jolie when they settled into their room for the night.  The desk clerk in the main office had given him repeated glares as she checked him in.  He'd heard her muttering under her breath about mixed couples and single parenthood, but let it slide, he was to tired to argue with her and just wanted to get to the room.  Jolie looked up at him as he settled in and then back down to the colourful flyer she had been playing with on the bed.  "That's why huh?" He chuckled when he saw the bright advertisement on the front page.  Sitting up against the headboard, he picked Jolie up into his lap and went through the brochure.  "Ten bucks says they didn't drink either." He laughed as Jolie pointed at an artist's rendition of the ancient reptile named for the state.

He read further and saw that a museum nearby had a complete skeleton of the legendary beast.  "Hmm? Wanna go check that out tomorrow?" He asked Jolie.  He got a burbled 'ya' for an answer and looked at her in surprise.  Being in the hospital and under constant pain medication had slowed down her development.  As far as he knew, his daughter had just uttered her first word, sort of.  "I'd ask for 'Dad is the coolest' but 'ya' works too!" He laughed.  Jolie squealed in delight as he picked her up over his head and made airplane noises at her.  

The following day, the pair were at the museum inspecting the fossilized remains of dinosaurs.  A plaque at the base of one of the great predators caught Sci-Fi's eye and he started laughing.  "Just think sweetie, when we get to Montana you can meet the lady who dug this thing up." He murmured into Jolie's ear.  The little girl could have cared less, she was to busy looking up at the giant T-Rex skeleton that loomed over her, with a hint of trepidation in her eyes.   An employee of the museum had overheard him talking to Jolie and stepped over to the two.

"You know Doctor Fine?" The teen asked.

Sci-Fi stood up from his crouched position and turned to the kid who had just spoken to him.  "Yeah she's my older sister." 

The teenager looked at him in awe for a second before speaking again.  "Wow.  I got to meet her last month when she was here supervising the final display.  When you see her, tell her that Dylan said 'hi'."  Sci-Fi gladly offered to relay the message and talked with Dylan for a little longer before moving on.   Father and daughter stayed in the Salt Lake area for a few more days before once again heading north.  

"Take a look baby girl." Sci-fi said to Jolie as they drove across the state line into Idaho.  "Famous potatoes as far as the eye can see…not." He laughed.   They were in no rush to go anywhere so they drove in a meandering manner until hitting Sci-Fi's home state.  "Welcome to 'Moan-tana'! The place responsible for my existence." He laughed at Jolie.  She just scowled at him and pouted towards the window again.  "Okay, yer not thrilled." He muttered.  They drove for a few more miles before seeing a roadside farmer's market.  

"Lunch time midget!" He stated.  Jolie was still pouting until he came over to her side of the truck and took her out of her seat.  "Oh yeah now yer impressed." He teased when she went back to her usual smile.  An elderly Crow man was manning the booth and smiled when Sci-Fi stepped up.

"Cute little girl there, son." He commented.

Sci-Fi thanked him for the compliment as he picked out some fresh local fruit and vegetables for lunch.  The two talked for a while and the man invited Sci-Fi and Jolie around the back of the stand where there was shade and a picnic table.  He gladly accepted and with Jolie seated on his lap, began eating.  "So where are you headed?" The man asked.

"Up north.  I'm from the Great Falls area originally." Sci-Fi answered.  Sci-Fi told the man about his road trip and why he'd taken it in the first place.

The old man laughed and said he understood.  "I'd say there was some Crow in you if you think that way." He offered.

Sci-Fi raised an eyebrow before responding.  "Actually, I know it doesn't look it but my mother is Canadian born Blackfoot.  So I got a bit of the restless spirit in me." He winked.  They talked for another hour or so before Sci-Fi bid the man good bye and thanked him for his hospitality.  Jolie waved at him and said bye too and the old man smiled as he waved them off and wished them a good journey.  

After a few more hours of driving they turned off the main highway into a small town.  Three turns later and Sci-Fi spied his childhood home.  He also spotted his elder sister's truck in the driveway and grinned.  "Oh goody.  Now we can find out why she's picking up on teenage boys in Utah huh Jolie?" He turned to look back at her and frowned.  Jolie was fast asleep in the back seat.

Jolie woke up when her father picked her up and rubbed her face into his shirt to wipe the sleep away.  Sci-Fi grabbed a bag he'd made for overnight convenience and went to the front door.  He still had a key to the house and was soon inside.  "Anyone here?" He called out as he set the bag down.

"Sea? I called your house and got a message saying the phone had been disconnected what are you doing here?" His elder sister asked in a rush as she ran forward to greet him and Jolie.

"We're in the middle of moving." He said.  "Where's Mom and Dad?" He added as his sister took Jolie into her arms.

"They left a note saying they'd be in Great Falls for some errands, they'll be home later.  I just got back from Hell Creek." She said before turning her attention to her niece.  "Hi angel.  The last time I saw you, you weren't doing to well." She cooed.  Jolie looked up at her for a moment before reaching for the long braid draped over her shoulder.  She noticed her brother turn his gaze for a moment and reached out for him.  "How are you doing baby bro?"

They went into the living room and sat down.  "I'm good, Dee.  It's just that Mirelle had a braid too and Jolie would always grab at it.  Just brought back some ghosts is all." He sighed before getting up to raid the refrigerator.  "So how long have you been home?" He asked from the kitchen.

"About ten minutes.  I was just throwing my stuff in my room when you came in." Dee said as she played with Jolie in her lap.

"Want anything?" He called out again.  Dee said she was fine, so he grabbed some juice for himself and Jolie.  "Here hold that for a sec?" He asked, handing Dee the glass and taking Jolie into his lap.  Jolie spied the juice and stared at it.  "Yeah! Juice huh?" He laughed taking the glass from his sister and holding it to Jolie's lips.  She took a few sips and turned her face away.  The two siblings talked for a while before Sea frowned.  "Okay Ms Bony Butt, time for you to inspect grandma's carpet." He said as he made to place Jolie on the floor.

"Or inspect the bed." Dee whispered when she saw that Jolie was asleep again.  Dee offered to tuck her in while Sea took their bag into his old room.  After placing some pillows around her so she wouldn't roll out of bed, the two siblings returned to the living room.  Another truck pulled up and the license plate was a dead give away as to who had just arrived.  Dee looked at her brother and shrugged.  "It's an excuse for you to get the rest of your crap too." She suggested as they both rose up to meet their sister.

A petite raven-haired woman jumped from the truck and raced over to Sea.  Jumping up into his arms, she wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed his chin.  "My favourite twin bro!" She laughed.  "Oh hey Dee." She said as an after thought.  It was a running joke between the trio and they all laughed.  

"I should hope I'm your favourite twin bro, Ava. Otherwise I'm gonna have to have a serious talk with Mom when she gets home." Sea laughed as he put his sister back down.  The two sisters, who both looked like their mother were the ones most often mistaken for twins.  Sea took after their father who was of French decent, and shared little in the way of looks with his darker sisters and mother.

"This is true." Dee stated as she reached into Ava's truck for a bag.  "Um guys?  Is it me or do we have way to similar tastes in vehicals?" She asked when she noticed they had all arrived in similar trucks.

"That and similar tastes in license plates." Ava laughed as she read them off.  "D-Rex, real original there sis.  Sci-Fi, yeah that makes sense. At least mine does!" She bragged.

"I don't see 'Bitch'?" Dee offered with a smirk.  The trio harassed each other some more as they unpacked all three trucks and went back inside.

"Okay, you're here.  So where's my niece?" Ava asked, settling down on the couch with a cup of coffee.  

"She's out like a light." Sea smiled.  He explained his reasons for leaving California and that he hadn't decided on where to move to yet.  Dee then asked about Jolie's condition after the accident.  "She's got two metal rods in her back holding what's left of her lower spine together.  They're designed to flex and grow with her as she grows up, so I guess they're permanent." He said.  Both sisters had flown out to California along with their parents when Jolie was in the hospital after the accident.  They all knew that the little girl would never be able to walk as a result of her injury.  

Sea talked with his sisters for a few more minutes before suddenly yawning.  "I'm gonna go hit the hay, I'll see you both later." He said, rising and kissing both of his sister's cheeks.  It was dark outside when he was woken up by Jolie playing with his hair.  He sighed and rolled over to stretch before getting out of bed and taking Jolie out into the living room.

"We didn't wake you did we?" Dee asked when she saw them.  Sea's parents had gotten home and they were at the table with his sisters playing 'Yatzee'.

"Nope.  Baby girl did with her hair fixation." He grinned as he placed his daughter on the floor and went to hug his parents.  Ava hopped out of her seat and went and got Jolie.

"Bad daddy, putting you on the floor like that huh?" She teased.  Jolie giggled as Ava nuzzled her cheeks and looked around.  She had a vague idea that she knew the people around her and smiled her usual smile.

"Hey! She can get herself into a sitting position.  And she can wriggle along the floor!  It's not like she's totally helpless." Sea defended.  His twin poked her tongue out at him instead and handed Jolie over to their mother.  "Mom!" He said pointing at Ava.

"I figure the sanity's got what?  Another ten minutes left?" Sea's father spoke up, looking at his watch.

"Five, if you're lucky." His mother zinged back.  The three siblings laughed at their father's expense as he just shrugged.  Jolie decided that she had had enough of being held and started wriggling out of her grandmother's lap.  "Okay Hon, there you go." Sea's mother said, placing her on the floor.  Jolie wriggled under the table and lay there in contentment.  

After making a sandwich Sea joined the rest of his family in the game.  Jolie had wriggled over to him and sat up next to his feet, occasionally nibbling on pieces of sandwich he'd handed her.  "Hey Google?" He said, looking under the table at her.  "Blow on Daddy's dice." He grinned.  He blew into the cup and held it by Jolie.  She blew on the dice and went back to whatever she had been doing before being interrupted.

"Okay, Baby Girl makes sense…what's with Google?" Ava asked her brother.

"She's got my big green eyes and with her mom's dark skin, they stand out.  Kinda like those googly eyes you see on kewpie dolls." He explained before rolling 'Yatzee'.  "That's my baby girl!" He cheered when he saw what he rolled.

"And that's cheating!" Dee laughed.  She peered under the table at Jolie and reached a toe over to get her attention.  "Hey sweetie, no more blowing on your dad's dice, okay?"  Jolie answered her aunt by blowing air out her pursed lips instead.

"Damn if I knew that would actually work, I'd have rolled some craps in Vegas." Sea commented as he added up his score.  His father looked up at him surprise.

"You didn't take her gambling did you?" 

"No!" Sea exclaimed in horror.  "I promised to do it when she hits twenty one though." He added with a cheeky grin.  Jolie choose just then to pat her hand on his leg.  "What's up?" He asked, looking under the table.  Jolie had a sad expression on her face as she stared back up at him, clutching her hands to her chest.  "What's wrong? Want Bunny?" He asked reaching under the table for his daughter.

"Ya." Jolie grinned.  Sea laughed and went to get her toy rabbit.  She grabbed the toy when he handed it to her and cuddled it lovingly.

"Aw, that's so sweet my teeth are gonna rot!" Ava laughed when she saw the whole exchange.

"Didn't you say her middle name meant something like: Her father's daughter? Or something like that?" His mother asked as she peeked under the table at her granddaughter.  When Sea told her it did, she cocked an eyebrow.  "Ah, that explains it." She said returning her attention to the game.  "You used to do the exact same thing when you were little." She explained when all three of her children looked at her odd.

"What's her middle name again?" Sea's dad asked his blushing son.

"Adanna.  It's Nigerian according to Mirelle." He explained taking one last look at his daughter before continuing with the game.  The family played for a little while longer before some of them started to doze off.  Sea tucked Jolie back into bed and went outside to look up at the night sky.

Ava came out a little while later, having changed for bed and sat down next to her brother.  She leaned into him when he hugged her shoulders and raised her eyes towards the heavens with him.  They stayed like that for a while before Ava spoke up.  "What's on your mind bro?"   

Ava watched him swallow a lump in his throat before he answered her.   "Just thinking.  I always wonder if Mirelle is watching over Jolie where ever she is." He managed to get out.

Ava hugged her brother.  "You loved her didn't you?"

Ava saw a tear escape her brother's eye and began to regret her question.  "Yeah I did." He said softly after a moment.  "I still do.  I'm just glad I told her that before…" He didn't need to finish.  Ava knew what he was talking about and held him tight.  

They sat in silence a little longer before Ava spoke up again.  "Well if things are the way Grandfather says they are, I'm sure Mirelle is watching over Jolie.  You too." She offered.  

Sea smiled as he pictured his Native American grandfather telling them stories when they were younger.  They stayed like that for a long while, neither one speaking as they watched the stars cross the bright night sky.  "Hmm." Sea muttered after a while.  Ava looked up at him and asked what he was thinking.  "I just realised that this is the most at peace I've felt in almost a year now." He said.  "Thanks." He added kissing the top of his sister's head. 

The End.


End file.
